Marie Kerbeshian, vice president of technology commercialization at Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., is leading workshops and speaking at international conferences April 14-29 in China. She shares her thoughts about her second stop: Fuzhou, Fujian Province, where she is speaking at an International Technology Transfer Network (ITTN) workshop.
Our training sessions are taking place in a brand new building for the ITTN. The organization’s focus in Fuzhou is establishing technology transfer initiatives with Taiwan, which is nearby.
Most people in China think of technology transfer as company to company, with an emphasis on Chinese companies acquiring technology invented and owned by foreign companies. But in 2015, the government passed China’s equivalent of the Bayh-Dole Act, encouraging universities to do technology transfer as we in the United States typically think of it.
My talks here are part of the country’s initiative to establish training for universities on technology transfer. After attending the opening ceremony yesterday, I had the day off as Dr. Bu spoke. I will be speaking all day today. Attendees already have been telling me that they wished for more than two days of training.
I toured the Xichan Temple, parts of which are old and parts new. The pagoda, for example, was built in 1986. People go to pray for good luck and good health. There were more small dogs than people at the temple yesterday.
After, I toured the campus of Fuzhou University. It’s the older, smaller campus, with the main campus an hour away. I took a picture of the dorms. The windows all have bars outside for the students to hang their laundry. I’m going to send it to my daughter, who is a freshman in college, so she can appreciate how good she has it.
After lecturing all day today, I have an early flight to Shanghai tomorrow morning.
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